If you’ve ever wondered how much money Disney makes, you might be surprised by these figures!
How much does Disney make? Let’s take a look at the entertainment company and their revenue streams, from Disney’s parks admission revenue to their media networks and consumer products.
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Disney offers a lot of fun and entertainment for park guests and movie lovers. But we all know they don’t do it for free!
Disney makes a lot of money a day between Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and its production work.
But just how much money is it? You can find out all about the nitty-gritty about Disney’s money here!
But to give you an idea of how well Disney is doing, they made $117 billion in 2021, which comes out to over $320 million every single day of the fiscal year.
So the Mouse is doing alright. 🙂
This figure of Disney’s revenue includes the park, the Walt Disney World resort, merchandise, licensing, film, and food revenue Disney generates.
Whether you’re renting Moana on Amazon or buying an iconic snack at Disney World, it’s all going to the Mouse!
Keep reading if you want to understand the ins and outs of how Disney makes its money, as you may be contributing to their bottom line even if you don’t realize it.
How Disney Makes Money
Disney makes money in many different ways.
They make money from park admission tickets at Disney’s parks, hotel reservations, souvenir and merchandising purchases, food, and beverage purchases, their own cruise line, and the licensing and purchase of their content, meaning Disney movies and TV shows.
Let’s take a look at how all of this breaks down and contributes to the whopping $320 million they make a day.
The Disney Parks
When people think of Disney they often think about the famous parks in Anaheim and Orlando.
The cost of a Disney trip isn’t cheap, but let’s take a closer look at how much money the parks contribute to the millions they make every day.
Theme Park Admission
Annually, Disney makes $5.2 billion on ticket sales alone.
That doesn’t include hotel rooms (many guests stay at a Disney resort), food costs, souvenirs, or extra activities and special events inside the parks.
So every day, Disney gets $14 million just for opening up their theme and water parks.
Food and Beverages
Although you can bring outside food into the Disney parks, most guests purchase at least some of their meals or snacks within the park.
Disney rakes in roughly $3 billion a year from food and drinks sold in their parks, whether it’s a bottle of water or a sit-down meal.
This comes to about $8 million per day, just to feed and hydrate the guests.
Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World is one of the biggest money-makers, aside from all of Disney’s beloved films. The park makes roughly $25 million every single day.
The massive revenue can be partially attributed to the expensive admission tickets for the Disney World amusement parks, which cost more than any Disneyland park.
Between Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Epcot, there are plenty of opportunities for guests to spend money on ticket prices alone!
Research shows that most of Walt Disney World’s revenue comes from park admission, meaning people don’t spend quite as much once they’re inside the park.
Of course, Disney also offers attractive Park Hopper pass and Park Hopper Plus pass options.
What does park-hopping mean? When you “park hop”, you are able to get into all four Disney World parks in just one day, for a much cheaper price than if you were to buy all four tickets individually.
So, if you feel like hopping all over Disney World in one day to get the full Disney experience, then purchasing the Park Hopper option is a great way to feel like you’re getting a little more bang for your buck (and another way genius that Disney is raking in a lot of extra cash).
Disneyland
Disneyland makes about $13 million every day, a bit less than half of what Walt Disney World generates. But still, nothing to scoff at.
One of the differences between Disneyland and Disney World is that Disneyland is significantly smaller than Walt Disney World in Florida.
Disneyland (and its accompanying Disney California Adventure) in Anaheim, California, is exactly 50 times smaller than Walt Disney World, so the fact that it still makes as much as it does is quite impressive.
On average, the parks see more than 51,000 visitors every day. At just under $100 Walt Disney World ticket, the park makes roughly $5 million just at the gates.
Of course, the three Disneyland hotels earn money, too, though not as much as the many Disney World resort hotels.
It’s important to remember that in addition to the domestic parks within the United States, Disneyland has several other locations all around the world, including Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland–all of which rake in a multimillion-dollar profit per day.
Related: Disneyland vs. Disney World–Where Should You Visit First?
Merchandise
Merchandise makes a pitiful amount of money for Disney compared to the parks and production studios.
But compared to most, it’s still an insane amount of money.
With Disney products and various merchandise, Disney earns about $1.5 billion every year, which comes out to more than $4 million every day.
Even though most people focus on the entertaining content and the thrilling parks Disney offers, they still make a decent earning off everything Disney lovers want, from Disney Apple watch bands to matching family shirts for Disney World.
Walt Disney Studios
Who doesn’t have a favorite Disney movie?
Whether it’s Aladdin or Star Wars or one of the Disney Princess movies, there’s something for everyone.
You may not even realize your favorite movie is from the Disney studio entertainment, like Never Been Kissed or Hidden Figures.
Film and Television
Despite all the fun to be had at the parks, the real money for the Mouse comes from all the iconic and lovable films Disney produces.
From nostalgic movies, like Toy Story and Snow White, to the newest ones that captivate the kiddos of the 21st century, like Encanto, Moana, Turning Red, Inside Out, and Frozen. Theatrical distribution of films is just one way Disney earns money.
Just over $50 billion of Disney’s yearly revenue comes from the licensing and sales of their movies and TV shows.
Some people may forget that Disney is also responsible for popular TV shows like Hannah Montana and That’s So Raven, which entertained millennials and Gen X for years.
This figure also includes any Disney games that people purchase or pay for. Disney makes Xbox and Playstation games, in addition to their games that are available online.
On average, these TV shows and movies bring in more than $136 million every day, making up almost half of Disney’s total revenue.
So even if you’ve never visited a Disney World park or the Disneyland Resort, but you love watching The Lion King on Disney+, you’ve contributed to this number.
Disney Streaming
Even if you’ve only ever streamed Disney movies through other streaming services and media outlets like Hulu and Netflix, they still made money off licensing deals and streaming contracts.
If you streamed a Disney movie on Netflix or Hulu with your subscription, that was probably once upon a time before Disney+.
Now, Disney movies and TV shows are almost exclusively on Disney+, but some are available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video.
With more than 138 million subscribers, Disney+ has added a bit of money on top of Walt Disney Studios’ already robust revenue.
Disney Plus continues to grow in recent years, and the latest reports show it made just under $5 billion in a year. That means Disney+ pulls in about $13 million per day, which is about the same as Disneyland!
So whether you visit Adventure Park or just enjoy A Bug’s Life on your couch, Disney is making the big bucks.
disney’s Earnings
The bottom line is that Disney’s bottom line is impressive. They are one of the most successful companies in the world and have managed to make money via several different avenues.
Walt Disney managed to curate a lovable and trusting reputation that runs throughout the business, which attracts millions of people to movies and theme parks.
From casual Disney fans to real fanatics, Disney has a presence in so many people’s lives in America and around the world.
And they’ve made quite a profitable business model by creating beloved characters and memorable experiences, whether on a roller coaster or your couch.
FAQs
For more information on Disney’s finances, check out these commonly asked questions and their answers.
What does the average Disney vacation cost?
The average cost of a Walt Disney World Vacation for one person is $1,500. This figure includes park tickets, food, souvenirs, flights, and accommodations.
But this is only an average, and people tend to splurge and spend much more, though planning a trip during the cheapest time to visit Disney can decrease the cost.
A Disney Vacation for a family of four can cost anywhere between $4,000 and $10,000 for a ten-day trip. Be sure to utilize the Disney payment plan!
And just for fun, learn about Disney Dollars, the former currency turned collectible!
What are Disney park employees paid?
Disney park and resort employees earn an average of $38,000 annually.
Their hourly wages are between $13 and $20, depending on their position in the company.
How much do Disney park characters make?
Despite the Disney character employees being the life of Disney’s parks, they don’t make very much money.
They make $13 on average, but some can make up to $17.
Some performers that have niche skills as part of their Disney act make slightly more, but the characters you see walking around as Minnie, Ariel, and Buzz, are all generally paid no more than $20 an hour.
Related: Disney Character Height Requirements
What does the CEO of Disney make?
Bob Chapek, the relatively new CEO of Walt Disney Co., reportedly makes $32.5 million in one calendar year.
His massive paycheck is often a point of contention when discussing the wages of the Disney theme parks and resort cast members, which is lower than the national average for annual income.
What’s the top-grossing Disney movie of all time?
Avengers: End Game is the highest-grossing Disney film of all time, raking in just shy of $3 billion for the Walt Disney Company, and growing.
The film was released in 2019 and still holds this title. Avengers, assemble!